The film 'Difret' is the story of a fourteen-year-old girl, kidnapped on her way to school with the intention of forcing her into marriage

(Festival del film Locarno)

Switzerland wants to promote equality and human rights with a project based around Swiss personalities. ‘Democracy Without Borders’ will use Swiss who are well known at home or abroad to raise awareness of issues in the countries where Switzerland funds development programmes.

The initiative was launched by Swiss President Didier Burkhalter during a session of the Open Doors section of the Locarno Film Festival, in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland on Sunday.

The aim is for the Swiss personalities to draw attention to the challenges faced by those living in areas where the Swiss foreign ministry is funding projects.

The well-known ‘project ambassadors’ are already involved in certain areas, such as a vocational training programme for young people in Honduras and work to get more women involved in politics in Tunisia.

Burkhalter launched the project at a film screening of ‘Difret’, which looks at the impact of sexual violence on women and girls. It was shown at the film festival as part of the Open Doors section, which promotes films and supports film makers from Sub-Saharan Africa.